History of Flight

PRESENTED BY
Y RAJESH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Aviation Through the Ages
1000B. He and his son
Icarus escaped by building wings of wax and
flying away. in China
were ancestors of modern aviation and the
airplane
. His wings
collapsed and he plunged to his death in the sea. The myth states
that after Daedalus built the labyrinth the king
of Crete threw him in it to test it.D
 Man's observations of the earth around him aroused his
curiosity and often inspired him to attempt the
impossible. How did man's lack of knowledge of the
physical laws of nature sometimes bring him tragedy?
 The Greek myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus
was written around 1000 B.C to 1250A.C.
 Kites flown around the year 400 B. However Icarus flew too high and
the wax in his wings began to melt.C.

. Aviation Through the Ages
1250 to 1750
 Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) spent
most of his life exploring flight and left
the world about 160 documents of
sketches and observations about flight. the center of
pressure. But like so
many people of his time he was
obsessed with learning to fly like a
bird.
He made important discoveries about
the center of gravity. and streamlining. A flying machine utilizing flapping
wings is called an ornithopter.

Their observations
led them to believe that burning created a gas. Once it was in the air it simply went
wherever the wind took it." causing a
craft to rise.
which they called "Montgolfier's gas.
rooster.
 Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier designed the
first successful flying craft. The Hindenburg zeppelin
disaster in 1937 caused the end for these large
airships. They constructed a balloon made of
cloth and paper. Aviation Through the Ages
1750 to 1850
 What forces cause smoke to rise in a fireplace? This
was what sparked Montgolfier's curiosity. and a sheep. The way the balloons worked is
hot air and gases filled the balloon causing it to
lift. To counter this
problem Henri Giffard designed a round oval
shaped balloon called a blimp and combined it
with a steam engine to make it steerable. Then in 1783 a crowd in
Paris watched as a Montgolfier balloon carried
two French men.
. When
gasoline engines were invented they became a
major source of transportation across the
Atlantic Ocean. The first aviators were a duck.

"The whole problem
is confined within these limits. He was the first to
discover how wings work. He also constructed
the first aircraft that was heavier
than air in 1849. He came up with many
principles of heavier-than-air
flight.
. He is now
recognized as the father of
aviation."
 Sir George Cayley experimented
with gliders at his home in
Yorkshire. Cayley
discovered that wings are lifted
on the air. Aviation Through the Ages
1850 to 1900
 Sir George Cayley set in motion the
future study of aerodynamics in a
single sentence. namely
to make a surface support a given
weight by the application of power to
the resistance of air.

the German
engineer. He built
and flew the first glider
capable of carrying a
person.
. Otto Lilienthal.
tested several monoplane
and biplane gliders.Aviation Through the Ages
1850 to 1900
 In 1896. but died when he
crashed in a sudden gust of
wind before he could finish
his powered plane.

The pilot Orville and
his brother Wilbur had experimented for
four years with kites and engines to make
the first successful flight ever. we were determined. ."
 That was Wilbur Wright's statement to The
Associated Press. It
had no seat and the pilot had to lay in a
cradle in the bottom wing.
. but.Aviation Through the Ages
1900 to 1935
 "Only those who are acquainted with practical
aeronautics can appreciate the difficulties of
attempting the first trials of a flying machine in a
25-mile gale. North Carolina. January 5.
 The brothers had made their own engine
that weighed 200 pounds and had four
cylinders.
to know whether the machine possessed sufficient
power to fly. . a
sixth of the engine power of a small car.m. . It could make 12 horse power. . Twelve
seconds later it landed 100 yards away on
the soft sand at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty
Hawk. 1903 the
world's first successful airplane known as
the Flyer I accelerated along its launching
rail and flew through the air. . on December 17.
 At 10:35 a. . 1904.

Germany developed many fighter
tactics that are still in modified use today. How were they able to accomplish this
task?
 In 1914 World War I broke out.
Rodgers. Experiments were done with even more
sets of wings. but most failed.I
which was flown by the infamous Red Baron. How do they work? How has the technology
changed over the decades?
." its cousin.D
 The Wright brothers continued to perfect their plane
and it was in a Wright biplane that the first
transcontinental flight was made by Calbraith P. in 1911.
The key to their success was to learn how to control
the plane.
"The Snipe. Aerial
tactics and strategies were developed during the
middle of the war.D to 1935 A. At first planes were
used mostly for reconnaissance. Aviation Through the Ages
1900 A. The
compass was an important instrument to these early
fighters. but later planes
developed into biplane and triplane fighters and
bombers." and the famous German Fokker Df. The main fighters of
the war were the British Sopwith "Camel.

Inc.
 In 1918.
In 1926. Charles Lindbergh completed
the first transatlantic flight. He instantly
became a world hero.
And in 1927. This established an Aeronautics Branch
within the Department of Commerce. But the
Europeans were leading the race in
commercial flight. Congress passed the Air Commerce
Act. They
were authorized to license planes and pilots
and provide standards for commercial flight. It wasn't until Ralph
Pulitzer offered a trophy to promote high-
speed flight and began a national craze for
air races that the American public began to
take notice.
. He and his
pilots achieved many firsts in the field of
aviation during these golden years.
 Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly
solo across the Atlantic in 1928. The first
Mailwing was built by Pitcairn Aviation. Aviation Through the Ages
1900 to 1935
 After the war General Billy Mitchell became
an advocate for military aviation. the Post Office Department started
airmail service in the United States.

D
 New technologies developed throughout the
course of World War II. The motto was if you
commanded the skies you could win the war. the Junkers
Ju-22. other planes from this
period. and the Stuka dive-bomber. The Grumann F6F Hellcat
was first used in 1943 and became the
premier carrier fighter plane. The
mainstay of the Japanese forces was the
feared Mitsubishi Zero-sen. and the American B-29
Superfortress. the American C-4U Corsair. Both sides of the
war manufactured literally thousands of
fighters and bombers. the
American B-17. Aviation Through the Ages
1935 A.
 World War II implemented almost
exclusively monoplanes.IV. The main Allied
planes included the British Supermarine
Spitfire Mk.D to 1950 A. the American P-51
Mustang. The main
Axis planes were the Bf109.
. Our hangar
also includes the North American T28 B
and the AT-6 Texan.

. but the
small number of British
Spitfires always seemed to
know exactly where and
when the German bombers
would be attacking and how
large of a force.D to 1950 A.D
 The major air battle of WW
II was the Battle of Britain. Aviation Through the Ages
1935 A.
The reason for this was a
relatively new technology
called radar allowed the
British ground stations to
detect and identify the size. and
trajectory of the German
bombers and send their
Spitfires on perfect
intercept missions.
For days the much larger
German Luftwaffe attacked
the British Isles. distance.
speed.

In the early days
pilots relied on landmarks and
sometimes even pre-set
bonfires to guide them along
their way.Aviation Through the Ages
1935 A. What were the early
instruments like and what
were their functions? How has
instrumentation evolved
through the ages?
 In the late 1940's.
.D to 1950 A. Chuck Yeager broke
the sound barrier.D
 Instrumentation was crude in
comparison to today's
technology.
New aviation records were set.
In 1947. the military
had developed the jet engine
and began changing over to jet
fighters. This resulted in faster
and better performing craft.

D
 After Chuck Yeager's supersonic flight in
1947.
.
Early bombers flew so high that the
crew had to wear pressure suits but
later they were used at low altitude
because they were harder to locate with
radar.
 The years following the war saw the
aviation industry grow in leaps and
bounds. aviation entered a new era dominated
by jets. The B-47 and B-
52 bombers were built to be used to
deliver nuclear bombs.Aviation Through the Ages
1950 A.D to 1975 A. The military airforce developed
more effective planes to address the
arms race with Russia. They were the
world's heaviest bombers and could
hold up to 99.206 pounds of bombs.

The total weight of the X-
15 was 33.000 feet.500 miles per hour
at an altitude of at least 70. 54
percent of its total weight was its fuel
(18. Aviation Through the Ages
1950 A.72. The highest speed ever
reached was about 4.D to 1975 A. a contract was awarded
to North American Aviation for the X-15
plane which could fly at 4.D
 In September.000 pounds.000 pounds). 1955.
.525 miles per hour or
Mach 6. Though only three of
this type of plane were built they flew a total
of over 200 times.

in Texas.
Many fliers were shot down over
Southeast Asia.
 During the Vietnam War the use of
military air power was somewhat
limited by policy in Washington. By 1966 both
Lockheed and Douglas Aircraft
Corporations had entered the
commercial industry giving rise to
competition and the development of
new technologies.D
 In 1958. was put into service by the
Boeing Company. Again
new records were set. The commercial liners
were an instant hit with passengers who
appreciated the faster flying time.D to 1975 A. the first American commercial
jet. Aviation Through the Ages
1950 A.
. They were recently
honored in a ceremony dedicating the
Missing Man Monument at Randolph Air
Force Base.
President Nixon launched the only
strategic bombing campaign of the war. the 707.

Passengers are even capable of seeing
the earth's surface. high
through the atmosphere. The Concorde flies literally on the edge of space.D to 2000A. air-to-air missiles. No other supersonic aircraft can fly as
fast and as far as the Concorde without needing mid-flight
refueling. and the Constellation
were in regular service.
 The Nighthawk (F-117A) first flew in 1981 and began combat in
1989. Aviation Through the Ages
1975A. It was
developed jointly by Great Britain and France during the 1960s
and 1970s when the Comet 4. The choice of weaponry varies from
laser-guided bombs. Some military aircraft can fly faster.000 lbs. of weapons. or air-to-surface missiles. It is the first stealth combat aircraft in the
world.
Two types of weapons can be carried at one time.
. It is protected by 24 hour
security with armed guards all around it. the DC-3. but need in-flight
refueling.D
 Aviation has changed much since the beginning of time.
 The world's first supersonic commercial passenger aircraft
operating regular scheduled flights was the Concorde. It has a top speed of 593 mph (955 kph) and is loaded
with 5. The outside of
the Nighthawk is coated with a special material that absorbs
some of the radar signals that strike it. Authorized personnel
must pass a palm print test to get near the aircraft. This jet was designed to avoid detection and mount
precision attacks.

However. which
means it can be operated from
land or water.
especially on the sea. or "Firebird." is a
very important aircraft.
Through doors in the bottom of
the aircraft it drops water on the
fire. Aviation Through the Ages
1975A. It
can scoop water into its tanks. It can
search for survivors for up to
seven hours before refueling. This
aircraft is amphibious. It was developed
by Canadair to stop raging forest
fires.D
 The CL-415.
Today's technology is exciting
and it seems as if "the sky's the
limit" as we look into the future. it is also useful
for search and rescue missions.
.
 The age of computers continues
to impact the aviation field.D to 2000A.

Aviation today and
tomorrow
 Boeing 787
designed completely on
the computer
 will carry 250 . Airlines will
enjoy more cargo
revenue capacity.
.85. It will
also travel at speeds
similar to today's
fastest wide bodies.500
nautical miles
 The airplane will use 20
percent less fuel for
comparable missions
than today's similarly
sized airplane.290
passengers on routes
of 8.000 to 8.
Mach 0.